1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of the delivery and management of viscous materials such as fluids, gels, pastes and semi-solid materials, and the like, and more particularly, to a method and device for delivering, by use of pressurized inert gas, these viscous materials from containers and sealed systems to an intermediate or an end destination, such as vehicles, machinery, and industrial and manufacturing process. This system and method preserves the purity and quality of the viscous materials, and moves substantially all of the viscous materials out of the containers and sealed systems so that the containers and sealed systems require less or no cleaning before they can be reused.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Vehicles, machinery, and industrial and manufacturing processes rely on a wide range of different viscous materials, including thick greases, gels, pastes and semi-solid material as manufacturing fuel stocks, ingredients, inputs and lubricants, and billions upon billions of pounds of these various viscous materials are utilized every year around the world. Applicant's use of the term "viscous materials," is meant to encompass materials which are not easily flowable.
Unlike the case of easily flowable and deliverable fluids, the delivery and management of these viscous materials and the disposal, cleaning of and/or recycling of their storage containers and delivery systems is troublesome and sometimes is a major expense, especially where the viscous materials are potentially harmful if dumped, such as in the case of industrial lubricants. Where the viscous materials are subject to drying out and oxidation, this may not only change and damage the qualities of the viscous material (i.e. food products, vitamins, nutrients and many cosmetic products are highly sensitive to oxidation, contamination, and drying out), but also makes it more difficult to transfer these viscous materials between different points within a system and remove them from the containers or delivery means. Many viscous materials tend to adhere to and harden on the inner surfaces of their containers and delivery means, and thereafter must be scrapped therefrom. Of course, doing so will generally result in the remaining viscous materials being exposed to further oxidation and/or contamination. In the past, elevated air pressure and/or temperature and/or mechanical means were utilized to transfer viscous materials between various points. However, this often is undesirable, as many viscous materials are subject to heat degradation and oxidation.
There accordingly remains a need for a method and system for delivering viscous materials in a manner which prevents them from drying out and oxidizing and which also aids in delivering more of the viscous materials from their containers and delivery systems.